How to manage HBa1C without regular testing?

[Chester5]

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who commented on my newbie post. I appreciate all of your comments and the welcome.
I think I have come to type 2 diabetes from a slightly different path to most. Started on insulin and metformin, testing 4 times a day, before meals and before bed, has left me with a fare amount of data.
Once confirmed as type 2 my care was passed from the hospital to GP, I had continued testing 4 times as I was not told any different.
My GP then decided without warning to put a note to review my repeat prescription, without me even seeing any member of the diabetes team at the gp and removing the test strips and questioning the metformin.
My question is, I wondered if you only have a HbA1c every 3 to 6 months how do you manage, or know if your diet is or medication is manging your blood glucose levels correctly?
I know several type 2 diabetic who have had fainting spells or funny turns through not eating enough, Or not knowing how they respond to the medication a particular food.
I have had to make little adjustments to my diet as this was already fairly healthy so regular testing has been essential to see how the medication and small food changes has affected me.

 

[Drummer]

If you are still using insulin you should have the means to test your blood glucose.

 

[Chester5]

If you are still using insulin you should have the means to test your blood glucose.

I was fortunate that the Insulin was stopped when I got the type 2 diagnosis.
From my testing data I have an avarage glucose of 5.3 over the last 2 weeks.
I need to export all of my data to do a full analysis for the last 3 months to see how this compares to my Latest HbA1c.

 

[Leadinglights]

I was fortunate that the Insulin was stopped when I got the type 2 diagnosis.
From my testing data I have an avarage glucose of 5.3 over the last 2 weeks.
I need to export all of my data to do a full analysis for the last 3 months to see how this compares to my Latest HbA1c.

The two tests are measuring different things so there is only a vague correlation between the two. I know there are various predictors which people use but they are not accurate so only a guidance.
The best guide is if your readings have been within to 4-7mmol/l before meals and morning and 2 hour post meal no higher than 8 for the 3 months prior to the test then your HbA1C is most likely to be in the normal range.

 

[snowball12]

My GP won't give me test strips etc. Now I have retired I can't afford to buy more after my current ones run out!!!

 

[Chester5]

The two tests are measuring different things so there is only a vague correlation between the two. I know there are various predictors which people use but they are not accurate so only a guidance.
The best guide is if your readings have been within to 4-7mmol/l before meals and morning and 2 hour post meal no higher than 8 for the 3 months prior to the test then your HbA1C is most likely to be in the normal range.

Thank you for clarification.

I was more asking my original question to see if others felt personal investment in testing was justified when my medical professionals seem to consider it a waste.

I have a good grasp of statistical analysis and trying to find coalition between different means of measuring risk.

For example Using stadard BMI I am 31.7.
Using the waist to hip I am 0.97 normal.
And the BMI with neck and waist I am an athletic.

Should get my HbA1c result mid next week looking forward to cross reference with my meter readings.

 

[Leadinglights]

My GP won't give me test strips etc. Now I have retired I can't afford to buy more after my current ones run out!!!

If you have one of the monitors which take the cheaper test strips then you could just test a couple of times a week to make sure things are not going too awry.
It would even be worth getting one that does as you would recoup the cost quite quickly.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It’s an interesting question, @Chester5 - and your not the first to have wondered about it!

Some here suggest it would be a bit like driving without ever looking at the speedo and just hoping you don’t get a ticket!

I think it very much depends on the individual. Some people when they get a diagnosis with diabetes want to engage with it, to actively manage it as best they can day to day. Others would rather leave it to the advice of their GP/nurse, follow instructions, and keep it very much ‘in the background’.

Those who seek the support of the forum seem more often to be in the first category?

There is research that suggests people with T2 don’t find it any easier to stick to the diet sheet they have been given whether they check their levels or not. And that seeing a constant stream of high levels is distressing and upsetting.

However the forum’s common method of self monitoring comes from a different direction. Rather than sticking to a predefined diet sheet, the results of monitoring are used to develop an individual glucose-friendly menu, and to find the portion sizes of starchy carbs that suit each person - which can vary widely!

There are cheaper options for self funding if monitoring is something you’d like to continue and your GP is unwilling to prescribe (as a cost cutting measure). The Spirit Tee 2, Gluco Navii, and Contour Blue are often suggested by self funding members here.

 

[Martin.A]

It's true that there's no direct correlation between finger pricks and HbA1c but if you have 10-12 weeks finger prick results you can get an idea of where your HbA1c might be. Based on my 5 years of testing I've found that if I allow +/- 2 my HbA1c has come in within that range. I can't imagine anything worse than spending months believing you're doing all the right things and then finding out at your next HbA1c that it's not worked.

 

[Lucyr]

My question is, I wondered if you only have a HbA1c every 3 to 6 months how do you manage, or know if your diet is or medication is manging your blood glucose levels correctly?

If your current diet gives a good hba1c then continuing eating that diet, and working on any other lifestyle changes, should help control the diabetes. If you want to test you’d probably need to self fund them and have a strategy for using them short term to adjust your diet further